Action Africa Club members Elan Keehn, Kat Martin, Michelle Obertacz and Beth Quintana
Four members of the Action Africa Club at Bastyr will take the student organization's inaugural trip to Ghana later this month. To kick off their fifth year as naturopathic medicine students, Elan Keehn, Kat Martin, Michelle Obertacz and Beth Quintana will embark on a five-week expedition that they have coordinated in order to volunteer for local nonprofits while expanding their cultural and medical knowledge.
Their first stop will be in the Volta region's city of Ho, where the group will provide home care to victims of HIV/AIDS through New Seed International, a Ghanaian initiative that meets the basic needs of those living with the disease. Then, they will travel to the Central region's city of Cape Coast, where they will collaborate with an herbalist to develop a medicinal herb garden through Baobab Children Foundation, whose goal is to train at-risk youth in vocations such as sustainable and organic farming.
In organizing the trip, the students' aim is to make it both humanitarian and academic in nature. They want to provide aid as well as create an exchange between traditional African and naturopathic medicines. "Bastyr tries to instill in our training as NDs a cultural awareness and sensitivity. For the four of us, it's an opportunity to learn about medicine and health care in a drastically different culture," says Beth Quintana, founder of Action Africa Club.
The travelers hope this first-time service-learning venture will develop into a continuing program and relationship with the local nonprofits. During their stay, the group will strive to understand "how Bastyr students can best complement the work already being done in Ghana," Quintana explains. This way, an effective framework will be in place for future trip participants.
Elan Keehn ironing underwear for a Ghana fundraiser on campus
To fund the project, the group has already raised over $5,000 through donations, bake sales, a silent auction and an innovative silk-screened underwear sale. In addition, they have received $1,500 worth of clinical supplies, supplements, herbs and homeopathic medicines. Primary contributors of funds and supplies were local and national organizations such as Bastyr University Student Council, HealingGrounds Massage, Heron Botanical, Hylands Homeopathics and Seattle Natural Health.
Quintana founded the Action Africa Club at Bastyr University in 2004 as a forum for community members with an interest in health care in Africa. It has since evolved into an organization that supports students who travel to the continent to volunteer in meaningful ways. Previously, several Action Africa students have volunteered in Kenya, but this is the first time that a group will travel to Ghana. "Traveling as a student is a unique experience, different from being there for business or for tourism," Quintana says.
In Cape Coast, the group will truly experience the richness of the community while living with the same local family who provided a Ghanaian home to Beth during her undergraduate studies. Researching, making connections and planning have been a true team effort, and the travelers are ready for the next stage of their adventure, paving the way for other Bastyr students to follow.
